Days Divinity
by wincitygirl
Summary: Dean's womanizing has finally caught up to him. Set after episode one of season two. So spoilers for anything before that.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"It's been almost a month, you need to call Sam and find out what happened to John." Eliza sighed into the phone and twisted the cord around her finger.

"I know I should Grace, but what if Sam starts asking questions. What am I supposed to say?" Eliza looked over her shoulder to where her twin boys were eating. She smiled slightly.

"Um, how about the truth? There's not a lot of that going on in the Winchester family." Grace bit out. "Listen, call Sam, because of the two, didn't John say he's the one with the better head on his shoulders."

"Yeah, I will." Eliza put the phone back on the base and turned around. "Do my men want some more juice?" The twins looked up at her with soft green eyes and smiled. "I take that as a yes." Eliza went about her daily Mom duties, all the while dreading the conversation that was going to take place sooner rather than later.

After putting the boys to bed she sat down on her couch and took a deep breath, reached for the phone and dialed John Winchester one last time. "Hi, you've reached John, if this is an emergency please call my son Dean at 866-502-9087, he can help."

"Damn you John." Eliza muttered and pulled out a scrap of paper from under her couch cushion. Sam Winchester's cell phone number was scrawled in John's handwriting across the page. With shaky fingers she dialed the number.

"Sammy!" Dean rolled his eyes and turned the music down. "Sam!" His brother opened his eyes and looked around before sitting up.

"Yeah?" Sam yawned and then heard his phone. "Sorry, I got it." Dean shook his head and kept driving. They were hot on the trail of the demon; Dean could just feel it.

"Who is this and how did you get my number?" Sam looked over at his brother. "I don't know anyone named Eliza, and my father never mentioned you."

"Oh, well, your father is a friend of mine. He gave me this number and told me to call you if I didn't hear from him every two weeks. It's been almost a month." Eliza winced. She had heard a lot of stories about Sam Winchester. How proud John was of his youngest son. She just hoped that he was the person his father thought he was.

"I'm sorry Ms. Collins but my father passed away almost three weeks ago." Sam looked over at his brother and shrugged.

"Eliza Collins?" Dean asked and pulled over to the side of the road. Sam nodded and Dean held his hand out for the phone. "Eliza, it's Dean, how did you get this number? And more importantly how did you know my Dad?"

"Hello Dean, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. Please forget that I called." Eliza hung up quickly and buried her face in her hands. She cried tears for John Winchester, for her sons and for the future that she now faced alone.

"Who was that Dean?" Sam asked as Dean handed him his phone back and pulled back onto the road.

"That was Eliza Collins; we had a thing a couple of years ago. I don't know how she knew Dad though. She was never a client, just a girl that I meant while working a case alone." Dean shrugged.

"You don't think it's weird that she had my phone number and knew Dad?" Sam stared at his brother. "What if, I don't know, after you.. her and Dad..?"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence! She was young enough to be his daughter; a couple years younger than me now that I think about it. I don't think Dad would…well, you know. I don't know how she knew Dad. Did a number show up on caller ID?" Dean waited patiently while Sam checked his phone.

"No, unavailable, she must have blocked it."

"Oh. Well, she lives in Texas. We're nowhere near there plus we've got more important things to worry about. You had any more visions?" Dean looked around and yawned.

"Not lately. You look tired. Want to pull over and let me drive for awhile so you can get some rest?" Sam offered.

"Thanks but I got it. Don't want you having a vision and killing us." Dean smiled. "I'm thinking about getting a hotel room soon though."

"Sounds like a good idea. A good night's sleep will do us both some good."

"I got dibs on the shower first." Dean called out first.

"Jerk." Sam muttered quietly.

"Bitch." Dean smiled in reply.

"He's dead Grace, what am I going to do?" Eliza cried into the phone quietly, trying hard not to wake the children.

"You're going to call Sam Winchester back and tell him the truth. You can't do it alone Eliza." Grace sounded furious. "You're 26 and raising twin boys alone, you're going to need help."

"I know, maybe I can get a job and find a babysitter?" Eliza said hopefully.

"Do you really want to put your children in danger like that?" Grace asked. "I don't know why John chose me as your confidant but there had to be a reason. Now listen to me. Call Sam back and tell him the truth."

"Not tonight, it's too late." Eliza protested.

"Yes tonight!"

"Alright, as soon as I hang up with you." She promised and then the line went dead. She looked on the coffee table and saw the scrap paper with Sam's number, she wiped her eyes and cleared her throat before dialing again.

Once again Dean turned the radio down and watched as Sam answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Sam, it's Eliza again. I was wondering if you could maybe..um, come and see me, there are some things I want to talk to you about in person." She spoke quickly.

"Well, I guess my brother and I could swing by after we're through here, I don't know how long it will take us though. Is this an emergency?" Sam once again looked at his brother and shrugged.

"Well, kinda. I would appreciate it if you were the only one to show, I'm sure Dean has told you about our brief history."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sam sighed. "Alright, I'll leave here and come to you. Are you still in Texas?"

"Sammy, we're not splitting up! Tell her she's going to have to wait. This is too important." Dean could be heard telling his brother.

"Sam, please, I need help. Your father said that if anything ever happened to him that you would be able to help me." Eliza cried softly.

"You've got some explaining to do Ms. Collins. I'll take the first greyhound to Texas." Sam sighed and looked at Dean apologetically. "Give me a contact number for you."

Sam hung up after she gave him her phone number. "I can't believe you're going to run off Sammy, this is the demon that killed Mom, that killed Jess and probably killed Dad!" Dean was furious.

"Dean listen, Dad told her to call me, that I would help her. Dad wouldn't tell her that unless it was something big."

"You're damn right, I was the one he relied on for years while you were in school, why isn't she calling me?" Dean asked.

"Well, now it all becomes clear, you're jealous that one of your ex's is calling me for help…and had some kind of relationship with Dad." Sam chuckled lowly. "Get over yourself Dean."

"Screw you Sammy." Dean muttered and floored the accelerator.

Two Days Later..

"Next stop, Port Isabel." The bus driver announced over the PA system. Sam dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed his brother.

"Joe's pool hall, you rack 'em, we stack 'em." Dean answered casually.

"Nice Dean. We're getting ready to stop in Port Isabel. Please stay out of trouble. I'll call as soon as I figure out what's going on." Sam smiled, "So what does Eliza look like, is she hot?"

"Shut up Sammy." Dean growled. "And yes, she's very hot..or was two years ago."

"Nice." Sam whistled and lurched forward as the bus stopped. "We just stopped. Gotta go." He ended that call and dialed another number. A breathless voice answered.

"Hello?"

"It's Sam, I'm stepping off the bus. I don't know.." He didn't get to finish his sentence. Standing in front of him with the phone up to his ear was a tall, stunning, flame haired beauty. Her hair and statuesque figure aren't the things that caught his attention. The twins looking up at him mischievously did. "I'll be damned." He muttered and looked up at the women pushing the stroller. "Eliza I presume."

"Hi Sam, you look just like your Dad described you." Sam nodded and pursed his lips together. He grabbed his bag and took a deep breath. "Wait till we get in the car before interrogating me okay?" She asked quietly and begged with wide blue eyes.

"Yeah." Sam nodded and followed her closely to a nice, late model sedan. "Put your things in the trunk." She opened the trunk for him and then unstrapped one child from the stroller and put them in their car seat. She went around the car and repeated the procedure.

"Alright, I'm ready." She said as soon as she started the car. "Fire away."

"Why didn't Dad tell us that we had twin brothers?" Eliza slammed the breaks and looked at him oddly.

"You think that my sons are your brothers?" She laughed and shook her head. "They're your nephews Sam. Dustin and Devon."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Nephews?" Sam's eyes widened even further. "You're kidding me?" Eliza shook her head.

"John said someone named Missouri had a vision of me, right after the boys were born, she could tell that they were Winchester blood. John found me, has been taking care of me and boys since." She looked down and swiped at her face with the back of her hand. "He said that it would be for the best if no one knew, so that they wouldn't be in danger. He gave me your number Sam, to call in case something happened." She sniffled and took a deep shuddering breath.

"Dad kept this from us." Sam turned his head and looked into the back seat. "I just..Dean, a Dad? They do look like him, how do you tell them apart?" He turned back and stared at the road ahead of him, "I had hoped that Dean would have been a little more careful over the years."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration. "You think he said a few nice words to me and I just fell on him, naked?"

"That's what usually happens." Sam muttered and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, this is just a lot to handle at once. What has my Dad told you about the..family business?"

"You mean hunting all the things that nightmares are made of? Yeah, he told me, that was the excuse he gave for Dean being unable to emotionally attach himself to anyone. What's your excuse for him?" She pulled up to a stop sign and looked over at him. "You know, nevermind. I don't want to hear any more excuses." After checking traffic both ways she continued. "John thinks..thought" she corrected herself with a wince, "that the boys will be the next generation of Winchester hunters. I don't know how I feel about that." Eliza pulled into a driveway. Sam looked up and saw a small, yet quaint house.

"Absolutely not, they're going to go to college and not know about anything that goes bump in the night, especially if I have anything to say about it." Sam stated plainly. "I'm afraid that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Please, once we get inside and settled, can we start over?" Sam asked, his eyes pleading. Eliza took a deep breath and nodded. "Do you need any help getting them out of the car?"

"No thanks, I'm used to it." She opened the trunk so Sam could grab his duffel bag, and then got the boys out of the car. Each one took a hand and walked beside their mother dutifully. "I'm sorry to spring all of this on you Sam." She said as she unlocked her door. There was salt laid down across the doorway.

"Good girl." Sam muttered to himself as he shut the door behind him. "It's alright, I just can't believe Dad never said anything. I don't even want to imagine how Dean is going to react when he finds out. I've got to tell him Eliza. He's my brother. He deserves to know."

"I know, I just..I don't want anything to happen to them. They're my world Sam. I would die for them." Sam smiled and patted her hand.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that ok?" The boys brought a couple of toys to the living room from their room. They were hesitantly making their way toward Sam.

"The one in the red is Dustin, the blue is Devon." She told him and watched as his eyes lit up. He was finally able to get a good look at them now that the shock had worn off. Identical boys with green eyes, a slightly cleft chin and sandy brown hair, they really did resemble Dean, and oddly enough he could see his father and even a little of himself.

"Hello boys, well, you sure are handsome. I'd say you look a lot like your uncle." He chuckled. "Uncle Sam." Eliza smiled and watched as Dustin brought Sam a motorcycle for inspection.

"Don't ask me because I don't know a thing about cars or motorcycles but Dustin has to have every matchbox car ever made." To illustrate the point he grabbed Sam's hand and tried to pull him up. "He's probably going to show you his room. His grandpa would visit every two weeks and bring sacks full of presents."

"Dad was right Eliza." Sam said as he got up and let the little boy lead him. "There are things out there that would come after them if they knew."

"I know." She whispered.

Dustin was pointing at the various toys in his room and babbling, Sam just smiled and nodded. Devon was standing back, watching, still trying to get a read on Sam. "So guys, this is your room, it's a pretty cool room." Sam commented. He sat in the middle of the floor and watched the boys communicate with their eyes. "I'm your uncle."

"Unkle." Dustin repeated with a grin. Sam smiled back and then looked at Devon.

"You're the quiet one huh?" Devon looked away and went to stand next to Dustin. "Wow, wait till your Daddy gets a look at you two."

"Dada!" Devon's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands. Eliza happened to walk into the room at that moment.

"He thought of your father as his own. You know John, a sucker for kids." Sam looked up sharply and thought that the old man must have mellowed out over the years. "Your Dad would never correct him." She shrugged and picked Devon up. "When are you planning on telling him?"

"I told him I would call him as soon as I found something out." Sam stood up and walked up to her. "I can't wrap my head around it, you seem so…normal, how did you and Dean hook up, or um..meet?"

"God, you make it all sound so sleazy. I think it was beautiful and you don't give your brother enough credit. He can be very charming and sweet." She smiled wistfully and bit her bottom lip. "First time I saw him, he was talking to one of my professors, he was wearing a suit, had glasses on, he looked so handsome and distinguished. I thought he was another professor or a PA." She stopped and Sam watched her face, the blush, he noticed the vein in her neck flutter rapidly.

"He stopped a group of us girls after class and started asking questions about a girl that had committed suicide. Guess he took a liking to me," she shook her head, "next thing I know he's got me singled out asking me for drinks that night. One thing led to another and he moved with me, we were together for a couple of months before your father called. I found out I was pregnant a month after he left. I tried to call him and his number was disconnected. I don't know where he went after that. He had my number, said he would call." She stopped and looked up, trying to hide her hurt. "How pissed is he going to be?"

"Family is everything to him." Sam said quietly and looked back at the boys again. "I'll give him a call in the morning, I won't tell him over the phone. When he gets here I'll," he paused and pursed his lips together in thought, "well, I'll take the kids and leave. Let you tell him." Sam grimaced. "Yeah, we'll go far - far away."

"Do you think you can handle both of them?" She asked hesitantly. "What experience do you have with children?" Sam smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

"I've lived with Dean Winchester for the last 24 years, you don't think I know how to handle a child?" Sam smirked and slid by her, escaping on the other side of the door. "Do you have a phone book?"

She followed behind closely as he walked into the living room. "Yeah, there's not much here in town though, what do you need?"

"A place to stay."

"Nonsense, you're family, you're staying here. The couch lets out into a bed. It's where your Dad sleeps…slept." She winced as soon as the words left her mouth. "Sorry."

"Yeah, it's alright." Sam sighed.

"Momma, nummy." Devon walked into the living room, still weary of Sam and turned to his mother. "Num Num."

"I guess that means it's dinner time!" She smiled gently at her son and looked up at Sam. "Hope you like Spaghetti."

"Homemade?" At her nod he stood up. "Let me help, please?" He smiled and then the two of them started gathering the ingredients from the cabinets and refrigerator.

Dean sat in his car, one eye on the house in front of him, the other on the phone sitting on the dash. He took a deep cleansing breath and turned the music down slightly, Killswitch Engage's "My Curse" played softly now.

He grabbed his phone for the third time in as many minutes. He dialed his brother's number and it went straight to voicemail.

"Damn it Sam, if you don't call me back in five minutes I'm coming after you." Dean slammed the phone shut and tossed it back on his dash. It was then when he realized that there was static coming from the radio and that the porch light connected to the house he was supposed to be watching carefully flickered off and on.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean jumped out of the car and started up the path to the door. He was about to kick the door in when everything stopped. The flickering, gusting wind, all of it stopped. He looked around, puzzled at the turn of events. "What the hell?" He asked himself and backed away from the door slowly and quietly.

He jogged back to his car and got back in. He decided to wait a few hours to see if anything happened. Could be that Yellow Eyes knew he was there and is toying with him? The alternative didn't make him feel any better -maybe because Yellow Eyes knew that Sam wasn't there with him.

"Sammy, something weird just happened, he was here, it started..and then..nothing. It stopped without anything happening. What's going on with you man, you said you would call. I'm going to wait it out here for a couple more hours to make sure nothing comes back, then I'm heading to Texas and you better have a damn good reason for not calling me back." Dean flipped his phone shut and turned his attention back to the house. All the lights were out, seemed that whatever was going to happen didn't – and he knew he was going to lose sleep over it.

"I guess you're wondering why I really called you." Eliza looked over her shoulder at Sam who was still sitting at the kitchen table, relishing the normalcy. Sam just ate a home cooked meal, one that he had helped prepare; he sat down at a kitchen table and ate that meal, with a family. Now, he was enjoying an after dinner coffee while Eliza did the dishes.

"You sure you don't want any help with the dishes?" He asked instead of answering her question. He thought he knew why he was here. She shook her head and he continued. "I'm guessing you called because you relied on my Dad for groceries and money..things like that right?"

"Yes." She turned around, wringing her hands in the dish towel. "I hated it, I hated not being able to have a job and support myself but John wouldn't hear of it. He always would say that boys needed their Mother."

Sam shook his head. "I suppose he would say that after the way Dean and I turned out."

"Don't you dare Sam Winchester!" Eliza through the towel down on the counter and put her hands on her hips. "Your father was damn proud of both of his boys. He talked about you constantly. He told me stories of when you were a baby. Did you know that he carried pictures of you and Dean around in his wallet?"

Sam looked down, his eyes filling with tears. "He would talk for hours about how his little Sammy would be a lawyer someday." Eliza continued. "I only knew your father for a couple of years but in that short period of time I came to love him like a father. I never knew my own father Sam, my Mom married a string of bastards who treated us like punching bags." She sat down next to him.

"I don't know how this is all going to play out," Sam looked up finally, his eyes still threatening to spill over, "but know this, those boys will have a family, they will have a father and a mother."

"Thank you Sam." Eliza smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Let me get you some things for the shower."

"How did you know that's what I was going to ask about?" Sam smiled and raised an eyebrow. "You psychic?"

"Not quite," she chuckled, "your Dad. After dinner, tucking the boys in and then coffee would take a shower. You two were more alike than you thought huh?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sam finished towel drying his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. He was an uncle. With a smile he tossed his towel in the hamper and gathered his dirty clothes. Clothes in hand he stepped out of the steamy bathroom and headed back to the living room to deposit his clothes. Eliza was sitting on the chair sipping a caramel colored drink from a wine glass. "Cognac?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I'm just full of surprises huh?" She smiled and pointed at the decanter on the kitchen counter. "It's the good stuff, imported straight from France. A gift from your father no less." She took another sip and closed her eyes. "He said that you haven't tasted alcohol till you've tasted the eaux-de-vie."

"Waters of Life." Sam translated and poured himself a glass. "You know French?" He shook his head and sat down on the couch across from her. "Impressive. You really are full of surprises."

"Thanks." She put the glass down and looked at him seriously. "Listen, let me tell you a little about myself. I feel as if I know you so well from your father and from Dean." She smiled at his shocked look. "Yes, Dean talked about you during our time together. I'm actually surprised that your phone hasn't been ringing constantly."

With a shrug he pulled it out of his duffel and tossed it to her. "Been turned off since I got off the bus. I wanted to find out what was going on first. You know, this could have been a trap. I actually thought it might have been. Until I saw the boys."

"Your father said the same thing actually." She tucked her feet under her and leaned against the arm rest, putting his phone on the end table. "Obviously my name you know, I'm 26, I was a graduate student at Texas A&M up until about 18 months ago. You lose your scholarship when you miss two months for giving birth." Again she had to chuckle at his expression. "Close your mouth or you'll get flies."

"Sorry, I really am, I'm just trying to picture you and Dean together." He chuckled and shook his head. "You seem more like my type." He looked up to see her amused reaction. "No offense."

"None taken Sam. Your Dad once again, said that as well." She reached over and took a sip of her cognac, when she put it down she continued. "I was majoring in Educational Psychology."

"That's different." He said quietly.

"Yeah, I wanted to help people. I was getting my doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Then, well, you know what happened next." She smiled. "As a bit of back-story, I'm from Texas, my Mother passed away a couple of years ago, as I said earlier, and I never knew my Father."

"You know, I'm glad you called me, honestly." Sam smiled and finished his drink. "I think it may be good for Dean to finally quit putting himself on the line so much." Sam frowned. "I'll let him tell you about what happened, if he wants."

"Alright. I don't have any illusions that Dean wants to settle down and become a family man. I just didn't know what to do. I can work; I can get a job right now. I just wanted to know what you guys thought. Is it safe?"

"That's something that we can discuss tomorrow morning." Sam stood up. "The couch pulls out, right?"

"Yes, let me go get you a pillow and blanket." She got up and went to the closet in the hall. Sam grabbed his phone from the table and turned it on. "I'm just going to lay them right here." She put them on the couch.

"Thanks. I think I'll call Dean, just to let him know that I'm okay and see how the hunt went tonight." The phone finished loading and Sam frowned. "Wow, three voicemail."

"He must really be worried." Eliza commented from behind him.

"Actually, that's not bad. I was expecting more." Sam frowned as he listened to his messages. Eliza excused herself quietly.

After listening to the last message Sam called Dean and stepped outside. "Dude, did it show back up?"

"Don't you dude me, you alright Sammy?" Dean asked quickly with a hitch to his voice.

"I'm fine. Tell me what happened." Sam walked back inside after ensuring that there were no signs of wind or storms coming.

"I told you in that voicemail. Nothing. I waited around till a little after midnight." Dean explained and Sam looked at the clock on the wall.

"It just came and went without doing anything? That makes no sense. Maybe he caught wind of you being there? We've been watching that same house for..well, tonight is night three." Sam said more to himself than anything.

"Don't know what to tell you. I'm as confused as you are." Dean cleared his throat. "What did she want?"

"I'll let her talk to you about it tomorrow. I'm sure you're on your way, right?" Sam pushed the speaker button and laid the phone on the table. "You're on speaker Dean, I'm letting out the couch bed."

"Sweet accommodations you got there, didn't get a room with an actual bed?" Dean asked sarcastically.

Sam laughed. "Actually, I'm in Eliza's living room."

"Oh." Dean muttered. "Well, I'm in Louisiana, just outside of Monroe. I should be to you in about ten hours."

"Dean, that's at least a twelve hour drive. I was there with you; I had to take a bus. I know." Sam replied and picked the phone up after letting the bed out.

"Yeah well, I'm worried. You're keeping something from me Sammy." Dean said quietly.

"It's not my place to tell you Dean." Sam sighed and sat down. "Why don't you stop at a motel or something? Get some rest before heading over?"

"Absolutely not." Dean replied and Sam could hear him floor the accelerator.

"Be careful, don't get pulled over." Sam yawned.

"Yeah, see you in a while." Dean tossed his phone into the passenger seat and stared at the long road in front of him.

"Shh, Dustin, get back here. Let him sleep!" Eliza scolded her son from the kitchen.

"I'm awake. What is that wonderful smell?" Sam sat up and stretched. "Hey little man, you're Dustin?"

The little boy nodded and sat down on the floor, pushing his truck along the table. "That smell Sam is breakfast. How do you like your eggs?"

"Over easy would be wonderful." He yawned and stood up. "That bed is actually pretty comfortable."

"Great, I'm glad." She smiled at him. "Over easy it is. Do you like pancakes?"

"I do, thanks." Sam grabbed the pillow and blanket and then folded the bed back into the couch. "Um, Dean will probably be here.." Sam glanced at the clock, "in about 3 hours."

"Oh, ok." She smiled and nodded. "Is it wrong that I'm nervous?"

"No, although I think I would be more pissed if I were in your shoes." He grabbed a pair of jeans out of his bag and a shirt.

"I am, make no mistake. I'm also nervous as to how he's going to handle the news." She slid two eggs on to a plate effortlessly. Dustin continued to play with the toy truck and was now running it dangerously close to Sam's toes.

"I've never known him to hit a girl, well, one that wasn't possessed by a demon." He smiled slightly and excused himself with his toothbrush. "Hey Devon." Sam said as he passed by the twins' room. "What are you doing?" He asked with a smile and stepped inside the room. Devon was sitting in the floor with a puzzle, pieces were all around him. "Putting together a puzzle huh?"

The little boy nodded slightly.

"That's cool buddy." Sam turned to walk away and looked back. He had to admit, the children were from what he could tell completely different. Personality wise anyway. "You, your brother and me are going to go to the park today."

This got a smile out of the little boy and Sam smiled in return. "I'm going to go brush my teeth and wash up; breakfast is almost ready, alright?" Devon went back to playing with his puzzle. Sam patted himself on the back. Considering he had never been around children he thought he was dealing pretty well.

"Breakfast boys." Eliza called from the kitchen. Sam just finished rinsing out his mouth when his phone started ringing. Sprinting to the living room with his toothbrush in hand he answered.

"Hello?"

"Why are you out of breath?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"God bless, are you serious? I ran to get my phone. I was brushing my teeth Dean." Sam explained.

"Fine, I'll be there in about a hour and a half." Dean yawned.

"Ok, well, I won't be here when you arrive." Sam watched as Eliza settled both boys into their high chairs and then handed them their plates. She put his plate on the table and then looked up at him.

"What do you mean you won't be there?"

"Eliza wanted to talk to you in private, and I agreed." Sam made his way over to the table before backing away quickly. Dustin started babbling as he picked up a wedge of syrupy pancake with his fingers.

"Whatever." Dean grumbled. "Well, just wanted you to know that I was almost there."

"See you later." Sam replied and shut his phone. "He's about a hour and a half away. He made better time than I thought." Sam sat down and grinned. "Wow, this looks great." He eyeballed his plate happily.

"Dig in. Once the boys are done I'll get them cleaned up and then you guys can be on your way." Eliza said, pushing her scrambled eggs around on her plate.

"Hey, everything will be fine. I promise." Sam smiled reassuringly. He only hoped that he was right.

Eliza dressed the boys in record time. Sam took her keys and directions to the park and set off. He promised to call when he got there. She had 45 minutes before Dean said he would be there. It was barely enough time to take a shower but she vowed that she would somehow make due.

She in no way looked the same. Her hair was longer, her breasts sagged and her hips were wider. She didn't even want to mention the stretch marks. With a sigh she ran a brush through her hair and looked at her reflection.

She wasn't ready to face him. Especially since John had died. She knew how Dean felt about his father. Sam had called soon after arriving at the park, assuring her that they were all fine and that he could handle it.

Dean pulled up in front of the address Sam had given him. She had moved at least. Last time he saw Eliza she was living in an apartment. This house was nice, small but nice. He sat in the car several minutes, trying to put a finger on the emotion that he was feeling. Anticipation? Dread? Something wasn't right; his gut had been churning since he realized who was calling Sam.

"Well, time to see what the hell is going on." He muttered, glanced at himself in the mirror and stepped out of the car. The walk to the door was a short one and soon he was raising a hand to knock on the door.

A few seconds later the door swung open. "Hello Dean." Eliza said quietly, her face betraying no emotion.

"Eliza." Dean shifted uneasily on his foot. "Can I come in?"

"Of course, I'm sorry." She stammered and stepped back. "Um, have a seat on the couch." She pointed and watched as he nodded in agreement and headed that way. "Still take your whiskey neat?"

"Yeah, thanks." He wiped his hands on his jeans and watched her. "You haven't changed any."

"Show's how observant you are." She smiled softly and brought him a small glass of Jack Daniels.

"Well, your hair's longer. Looks good, suits you." He took the drink and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Easy there. You're probably running on no sleep." She sighed and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry about your Dad. He was a good man."

"Yeah, thanks. Still doesn't answer the questions as to how you knew him." Dean eyed her skeptically.

She crossed her legs and sat back. "He actually found me."

"What?"

"Dean, I've got twins, boys." She smiled and watched as his face turned a bright red.

"You had children with my father? You slept with my father after sleeping with me?" He stood up and looked at her horrified.

"God, what is it with you brothers that think I was doing your Daddy?" She threw her hands up in disgust. "They're yours you idiot!"


	4. Chapter 4

Dean stopped his pacing and turned to look at her. "What?" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Don't you fuck with me Eliza!"

"Dean, calm down please." He didn't let go of her shoulders and she squirmed. "You're hurting me." She said quietly.

He released her arms and looked at her. "Sorry." He sighed. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes." She frowned and he plopped back down on the couch, somewhat deflated. "Your father found me because some psychic named Missouri had a vision and contacted him." She looked over at him to see how he was taking the news. His face was blank. "Look, I don't want anything from you. I take that back, I do, I want to know if it's safe for me to leave them alone with a sitter while I work."

"I want to see them." He muttered and looked at her confused. "I want to see them right now Eliza, where are they?" It then dawned on him. "Sam, Sam got to see my sons before I did?"

"I'm sorry Dean, I don't know what else to say other than that." Eliza sighed and exhaled deeply.

"Oh God, now I understand why he made that deal." He got off the couch and started pacing, talking quickly and quietly. Eliza only caught a few words here and there.

"You're absolutely sure they're mine?" He stopped pacing to look at her. "I mean, we always used protection."

"That's not what you meant, but I'll disregard that." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yes, I'm positive. You were the only person I was with." She looked up at him. "Remember the accident?"

"Accident?" He started pacing again. "What are you talking about?"

"The condom Dean, it broke. Ring a bell?" She stood up to confront him. "Although you may have a hard time remembering from what I've been told. A girl in every town, sometimes two or three?"

"Really?" He shook his head. "You're going to get bitchy now of all times, you just told me I'm a Father for Christsakes, cut me a little slack." He rubbed his hands over his face. "I've got to get out of here. I have to think and you're not making it easy."

"Yeah, okay." She grabbed his whiskey glass and took it to the kitchen sink. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Listen, just, give me some time." He frowned. "Where's Sam?"

"He's at the park a couple of blocks over. Your brother," she laughed lightly, "said he could handle watching the boys while we talked."

Dean turned toward the door and then stopped. "What's their names?"

"Devon and Dustin." She replied quietly and walked back into the living room, he was standing by the door with his hand on the door knob. "Dean, I don't want you to feel obligated. I just didn't know what to do. Your Dad told me what the family business was and well…I didn't believe him at first."

"Oh it's real." Dean shook his head. "Now, now not only do I have to protect Sammy but I've got sons?" Dean looked sick; she could definitely see the shadows under his eyes. In the little over two years it had been since she had seen him it seemed like he had aged ten years.

"I'll be back, alright, and well deal with this in full." Dean said and stepped out the door. Eliza watched him go with a frown. Many things still left unsaid.

Dean sat in his car, deep in thought. He had gotten no further than around the corner from her house before having to pull over and try to stifle the tears that pooled in his eyes. He needed to think, he needed a moment to process. He was a father – of twins no less. He had a hard enough time keeping Sam safe, now he had two more to add to that equation.

Despite his strong sense of family he knew that he would never be able to indulge in being a family man, he would never have the white picket fence and 1.5 children. By the tender age of 15 he knew that luxury would never be his. And now, at the most inconvenient time it has been handed to him on a silver platter no less. He had to be impressed with the irony of it all.

The part that he couldn't wrap his head around was the fact that his own father had known and never said a word to him. Not even before he died – no, he just told him that he may have to kill his brother. Dean beat his fists against the steering wheel.

He felt like he was drowning and there were no life preservers in sight. He felt choked with knowledge that if they were indeed his sons he had missed out on their births and already over a year of time in their lives. Not that he doubted Missouri, his father or Eliza but he needed to see those children with his own eyes. With that resolve he started the car and put it in drive.

He got turned around twice before finally finding the small community park. Dean steered the Impala into a parking spot and killed the engine as his eyes scanned the park. His giant of a brother wasn't hard to spot. Nor were the children that were sitting at the picnic table with him.

He couldn't see them very well, but he could tell Sam was clearly amused. He had a smile on his face and reached across the table to snatch something from one of the boys. This should be their lives, happy, carefree, an uncle spending time in the park with his nephews – not chasing after ghosts, demons and any other freaky thing that may pop up. Dean watched as Sam answered his phone, seemingly carrying on a conversation with the person on the other end as well as never taking his eyes off the boys.

"That well huh?" Sam frowned and watched as the boys ate their fries. "Well, let him think and brood, if he shows up here I'll take care of it."

"Thanks Sam." Eliza sniffled. "I am sorry for all the chaos I've caused."

"Hey, it's good chaos right?" Sam grinned across the table. "They really like French fries huh?"

"That's they do." Eliza agreed. "You've been great."

Sam looked up and saw the black Impala parked at the park entrance. "It's not a problem, honestly. It's actually been nice to play normal for a change." Sam nodded in Dean's direction. "I'm going to let you go now, we'll be stopping for ice cream and then I'll be back with the boys." He hung up before she could answer.

As soon as Dean saw the phone removed from his brother's ear he picked up his phone and called him. "Hey Sammy, congrats man, you're going to be an uncle."

Sam smiled and followed the boys over to the sandbox. "Yeah, where's my cigar?"

Dean smirked. "I don't know Monica, why don't you ask Bill?"

"Jerk." Sam muttered and took a long deep breath before continuing. "So.."

"Yeah, so." Dean cleared his throat. "I want to see them."

"Um, not here Dean. I think it would be better at their house."

"I am so mad at you right now Sammy I could strangle you." Dean bit out. "You're as bad as Dad for keeping this from me."

Sam shook his head and held his hand against his chest. "I just found out about it yesterday afternoon!"

"You could have said something when we were talking last night." Dean countered.

"It wasn't my place to say anything." Sam sighed and cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm going get them packed up and then get them some ice cream. You may want to go back over to Eliza's and be there waiting."

"Yeah," Dean mumbled. "Thanks by the way."

"What are you thanking me for?" Sam asked puzzled.

"You just had to mention it to her that I like the ladies?" Dean said uncomfortably.

"It's the truth Dean. It just slipped out." Dean could see one of the boys hold the truck up for Sam to inspect. "Yeah, you've got sand in the wheels, it won't turn now huh?" Sam put the phone between his ear and shoulder so he could use both hands to shake the sand out.

"Are they really mine?" Dean asked. Sam couldn't be sure but he thought he heard a little hopefulness as well as fear.

"Yeah Dean, I stepped off that bus and there they were." Sam started. "Thought they were Dad's at first cause they look like a mixture of us. They got your eyes though Dude."

"I'm going back to Eliza's, hurry up." Dean said quickly before hanging up. Sam could hear the car start.

"Alright boys, how does ice cream sound?" He laughed as they both jumped and clapped their hands together. "Yeah, sounds good huh? Give me your hands." The children flanked him, one on each side and he guided them to the car.

An hour had passed, tops, since he walked out of her front door and here he was fist at the ready to knock when it swung open. "I thought you would be back." Eliza stepped back and he walked by her.

"Let's do this right huh?" He leaned over and gave her an awkward hug. "Um..how have you been?"

She patted him gently and looked at him oddly as he pulled away. "You're kidding right?"

"What?" He asked. "I'm trying to start over here."

"Why?" She turned away from him and walked to the bookshelf. "Here, get acquainted." She tossed him a photo album. "The last 18 months, in color."

Dean caught the album and held it carefully. "There's no baby crowning, cord cutting pictures in here are there?"

"No." She chuckled and motioned to the television. "That was recorded for your viewing pleasure. Wanna watch?"

"Hell no!" He answered quickly and sat down with the album. "When did you find out you were pregnant?"

She sat down in the chair across from him. This was beginning to become habit, as Sam occupied the same position last night. "I found out about a month after you left."

"I got my number changed." He said quietly. "Credit card companies start to harass after a while." He chuckled and looked down at the album. "Did you um…" he paused and tried to find the right words. "did you have an easy pregnancy?"

"Define easy?" She smiled at his uneasy expression. "You really don't have to do this." She continued before he could protest. "But if you must know, they were a month early and were delivered via a cesarean section"

"Who was born first?" Dean asked and opened up the album.

"Dustin was the first one they grabbed." She smiled at the memory. "Devon came two minutes later."

Dean smiled at a picture, taken shortly after they were born. It was of the twins, separated by incubators but still turned toward each other. "So how we gonna do this Liz?"

"God, I forgot that's what you called me." She winced. "I'll have you know you're the only person who has ever called me that."

"I'm also your baby daddy, I get special privileges."

"Someone has watched one too many Maury episodes." She crossed her legs and sighed. "How are we going to do what Dean?"

"How are we going to introduce me? I mean, hey boys, here's your Daddy, he's been MIA since you were born." Dean closed his eyes. "I don't even have anything to give them."

"Hey." She reached over and touched his hand. "They don't need anything, except a Father, if you're willing."

"Yeah, I don't know that I'm Daddy material." He thought back to his own Father. "I mean, I can teach them how to work on cars and how to hunt demons. I don't have much else to offer them."

"Listen, I.." She didn't get to finish because the front door swung open and two small figures blazed into the living room, followed by one tired looking uncle.

"We're back. Um, call me later Dean, alright." He looked at his brother and offered a reassuring smile. "Eliza, they were terrific. No problem at all. Dustin though, he's got a bit of a mischievous streak huh?" He winked at the little boy who looked up when his name was said.

Dean couldn't help but stare. Sam was right, they had his eyes both shape and color. Also had the Winchester cleft chin. He suddenly felt sick, and actually thought he might thrown up. He jumped up quickly and ran down the hall, thankfully the first door that he opened happened to be the bathroom.

"He'll be fine." Sam muttered and shrugged his shoulders. "You call me if you need anything or..well..just or." He flashed a crooked smile that showcased his dimples and shut the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Who would have thought that two toddlers would bring Dean Winchester to his knees? He hadn't eaten in over a day, slept in almost two. He was seriously running on empty and the emotional strain of the last few hours had almost been his undoing. Now, here he was in the bathroom staring into the mirror while his children, who he had yet to meet, were just feet away. A few deep cleansing breaths later he felt he could face them.

He walked out slowly and back into the living room. He spotted Eliza over the half wall that separated the living room from the kitchen by the refrigerator. She was pouring juice into two small sippy cups. "So, I heard you guys got French fries and ice cream." She smiled and handed them their cups. "Well, Mommy didn't get to eat, so in just a few minutes, I'm going to cook."

Dean's ears perked up slightly at that announcement. He waited patiently for her to look up and when she did she nodded toward the couch. "Hey guys, I want you to come over here and say hello to someone." She had a hand on each of their backs as they walked over, mirror images of one another, both of them with the cups up to their mouths'.

"Dean, I'd like you to meet Devon and Dustin, well Winchester." She said their last names with a frown. "Yes, it's on their birth certificates." He noticed the frown but refrained. "And boys, this is your Daddy."

Four emerald green eyes peered at him curiously over cups. They understood what their mother had said. "Hello." Dean's voice cracked and he paused to clear his throat. "Um, I don't know the first thing about kids." He explained to them. They continued to stare at him.

"Dean, you don't have to give them your life story. Just go play with them." Eliza chuckled and turned to walk back to the kitchen. "I'm going to fix something to eat, I bet your starving. I'm also going to call your brother."

"Why are you calling Sam?" He asked puzzled.

She sighed and stopped. "Because I need groceries and it seems as if your brother is now not only my babysitter but he's also going to be my shopper. If he agrees."

Dean was barely paying attention. "Liz, how do I tell them apart?"

"Sorry," she called over her shoulder while digging through cabinets. "Today it's different, green shirt is Dustin and yellow is Devon."

Dean nodded but made no move to leave the couch. He was too busy staring at his sons. "You're going to creep them out." Eliza laughed and shook her head. "Hey Devon, show us where your nose is."

Devon used his index finger and brought it to his nose. "My son is a frickin genius!" Dean shouted happily.

After a few minutes the children warmed up to the man that was calling himself Daddy. Dean was in the floor, head close to Dustin's'. "What this is right here Dustin is an axel, it holds a lot of the weight of the car and it's also really important when it comes to steering." Dean was pointing on the matchbox car. "Devon, you're doing great!" Devon was stacking blocks on the coffee table.

Lunch was in the oven, her grocery list was finished and Eliza was able to sit and listen to the sound of her children playing with their Father. The moment was ruined two minutes later when Sam knocked lightly on the door and then stuck his head in. "Come on in Sam." Eliza stood up and grabbed her list. "Here, for later." She looked up at him. "That should last us a while. Thanks."

"Um, Liz.." Dean started and scrunched his nose in disgust. "I think one of the little guys had an accident."

Liz laughed and pointed toward the bedroom. "Go change their diaper." Dean blanched. "I'm kidding. Although, you might want to learn."

"Not at the moment thanks. Too sleep deprived and hungry." Dean stood up and walked Dustin over to his mother. "Hey Sammy."

"It's like I just walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone, I'm still waiting for a chain smoking Rod Serling to come walking out from behind a curtain." Sam said with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" Dean asked defensively and went back to the floor where Devon was busy with his blocks. "Make sure you're putting enough at the bottom, gotta give it a strong foundation."

"Dean, I'm..well, I'm speechless."

"C'mon Sammy." Dean motioned for him to come closer. "I swear, this little guy, he's so smart." Dean smiled proudly and cleared his throat. "Devon, show Sam where your ear is."

Devon stuck his index finger in his ear and laughed. "Dude, I taught him that!" Dean grinned. "My next goal will be to teach them both how to high five."

"You're a dork you know that?" Sam said with a laugh. It was good to see Dean happy, if only for a few hours, it was well deserved.

Eliza walked back in the room, Dustin on her hip. "Come on Dev, it's nap time."

"No!" Devon said loudly and shook his head, his eyes started tearing up and Dean once again looked sick.

"Dude, is he going to cry?" Dean asked his brother in a whisper.

"It looks like it." Sam grinned. "It's what kids do."

"Yeah, you used to cry if you didn't get tucked in with your She-Ra blanket." Dean smiled and looked at Eliza helplessly as Devon started to cry.

"It was He-Man." Sam said quietly. "Dean, pick him up and take him to his bed." Sam nudged his brother.

"What?" Dean looked at him as if he had two heads.

"Seriously, pick him up and take him to his room." Dean remembered a couple of times before his Mom died when his Father was still in contention for Father of the Year. His Father had tucked him in to bed as many times as his Mother did.

"Yeah, okay." Dean moved cautiously over to the flailing toddler and scooped him up. "Sorry little man, but I do believe it's your nap time."

"Guys, I'm gonna go get the items on this list." Sam announced.

"Thanks." Eliza smiled and packed Dustin back to the room that was shared between the two boys. "Um, just over there." She nodded toward a crib for Devon.

"It's like a baby jail!" Dean scoffed and held the boy away from him slightly. The screaming in his ear was getting to be a bit much. "Devon, that's enough." He said sternly. The child stopped crying and stared at him.

"Excellent!" Eliza walked over and patted him on the back. Dustin was already lying down with his cup. "Devon is the sleep fighter."

Dean looked at her and arched an eyebrow. "No kidding." Dean placed him in the bed and Devon at first refused to lie down. Dean gave him a look and he laid back reluctantly. "Yeah, those death looks used to scare the crap outta me too." Dean muttered and moved away from the crib. Eliza moved in front of Dean to cover Devon up and then gave him his cup.

"Have a good nap." She whispered and leaned over the railing to kiss him on the forehead. Dean watched quietly and found himself thinking back, trying desperately to remember his Mother's kiss and was quite shocked and saddened that he couldn't.

"C'mon Dean, let's go eat." He followed her out of the room reluctantly; looking back once before pulling the door almost closed.

Dean sat down at the table, weary, starving and very uncomfortable. Angry ex's, he could deal with, ex's that had his children, well the jury was still out on that one.. "Listen, Liz.." he trailed off and scrubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. "You've done an amazing job raising them. I just..I don't know."

She put the plate of food in front of him and then pulled a beer out of the fridge placing it beside the plate. "You don't know what?" She grabbed her plate and sat down next to him at the small table.

"I don't know what would be better - for me to not have anything to do with them and just send you money, or actually try and come see them and be a part of their lives." He cut into his chicken and devoured the first piece. "I don't know if Sammy told you but in the last year alone I've damn near died twice." Dean decided to leave out the part regarding his Father.

"Well I can tell you one thing; you just can't come and go as you please." She said quietly and wiped her mouth. "It would be too hard on them and on me as well Dean."

He took a long slow drink of his beer. "Hard on you, how? Don't tell me about something being hard on you! This isn't my life Liz, this isn't me!" He raised his voice slightly and frowned. "I'm not fighting you right now. I'm too tired."

She shook her head and picked at her vegetables. Stage one of evasive Dean Winchester had just started. "You haven't changed. Anytime anything even gets the slightest bit serious you run full speed in the opposite direction" Putting her fork down she turned her full attention to him.

"I didn't ask to get pregnant either. When I first found out do you know how close I was to not going through with the pregnancy?" He looked at her horrified.

"You considered..?"

She nodded slowly. "I was all alone with no family. I didn't have a job. I was on a scholarship."

Dean got up from the table a good portion of his food left untouched. "They are great kids Liz, really great and I'm proud, so damn proud." His eyes watered with unshed tears as he thought about not seeing them again. She followed him into the living room. "I have nothing to offer children. I am a Hunter, that's who I am, who I was raised to be."

She cocked her head to the side and chuckled. "That's right for you, happiness is a warm gun huh?"

"Nice Beatles reference there Liz." He plopped down on the couch and smiled up at her. "But you're not going to win this argument by showing off your classic Rock knowledge. You'll just succeed in turning me on." He winked.

Eliza stared at him, phase two of evasive Dean had just started. "You're a pig."

Dean put his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch. "I made you squeal if I do recall correctly." He paused. "Besides, the song isn't even really about a gun, I believe it's a reference to sex..or drugs. The Beatles were over in India with that weird guy doing LSD and meditating. So yeah, I'd say it was about both." He nodded to himself, pleased with his deduction.

She sat down next to him on the couch. "Well, the title fits, that's what I was referring to." She smiled slightly, "And that weird guy is the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi."

"How the hell..?" Dean shook his head and continued. "Well, we've got two options at the moment." Dean said and turned his head to look at her. "One, we find out if you remember what the touch of my velvet hand on your trigger feels like, or two, let me rest my eyes for a bit. I'll think better on a little sleep."

He was actually surprised that she seemed to be considering his offer. "Yeah, that being said, come on." She grabbed his hand. He knew that she was walking him over to the door, that he had overstepped the imaginary line that they had been tip toeing around all day. To say that he was surprised was an understatement when she led him down the hall.

"What are you doing?" He asked when they made it to her bedroom. It was nice, large bed, smelled sweet but not sickly so.

"I'm putting a cranky boy to bed." She grinned and suddenly he was nervous.

He looked at her confused and she pushed him down on the bed. "You're going to fight me too?"

"No ma'am, absolutely not." He smiled happily as she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it up and over his head. Dean had closed his eyes as she lifted the shirt, and she took the moment to look over the once smooth, muscled skin. His chest, ribs and abdomen were riddled with bruises and cuts. She frowned and continued.

He opened his eyes next to find her between his knees, "While you're down there.."

"Don't even." She answered and pulled one boot off and then the other. "Now, get in bed."

"I don't want to get your sheets dirty. I haven't showered in a couple of days." He explained when she motioned for him to scoot up in the bed.

"Sheets can be washed." She said quietly. "Get some rest."

"What, you're not going to tuck me in and give me a kiss on the forehead?" He asked and stuck his bottom lip out.

She walked back over to him and smiled. "You wish." She did pull the cover up to cover his shoulder. "When you wake you'll feel better."

He grabbed her hand as she turned to walk away. "Thanks, for you know, well, everything." He said before brushing his lips lightly against her knuckles.

"Don't mention it." He let go of her hand and she walked out. He was asleep before the door closed.

Chapter End Notes:

Read and Review! For reference here are the lyrics to Happiness is a Warm Gun. Written by the dynamic duo themselves, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The song can be found on the White Album.

She's not a girl who misses much  
Do do do do do do do do, oh yeah  
She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand  
Like a lizard on a window pane  
The man in the crowd with the multicoloured mirrors  
On his hobnail boots  
Lying with his eyes while his hands are busy  
Working overtime  
A soap impression of his wife which he ate  
And donated to the National Trust

Down  
I need a fix cos I'm going down  
Down to the bits that I left uptown  
I need a fix cos I'm going down

Mother Superior jump the gun  
Mother Superior jump the gun  
Mother Superior jump the gun  
Mother Superior jump the gun  
Mother Superior jump the gun  
Mother Superior jump the gun

Happiness is a warm gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)  
Happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)  
When I hold you in my arms (Oo-oo oh yeah)  
And I feel my finger on your trigger (Oo-oo oh yeah)  
I know no one can do me no harm (Oo-oo oh yeah)  
Because happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)  
Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)  
Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)  
Well, don't you know happiness is a warm gun, mama? (Happiness is a warm gun, yeah)


	6. Chapter 6

Dean awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. It took a few moments before he remembered where he was. He fell back into the pillow and noticed that not only was it still dark out but there was someone occupying the bed with him. He turned on the bedside lamp and scrambled to get out of the bed. There was Sam, sleeping peacefully just inches from where he was lying moments earlier.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered to himself and looked around the room. His bag rested in the corner. Sam must have gotten it out of the Impala for him. He murmured thanks to his sleeping brother and grabbed a change of clothes.

He walked into the small adjoining bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief. There were towels and wash cloths stacked on a rack above the toilet.

Dean liked his water temperature one degree away from scalding and once he reached that degree he lifted the knob on the bathtub faucet to engage the showerhead. He grabbed the last clean pair of clothes he had in his bag out and then stripped.

The shower felt wonderful and he was finally able to process the days' events. He really was a Father. His children were gorgeous and smart. Sam seemed to have a good time with them and even Eliza was handling herself well. After wetting his body he looked down at the selection of soaps. "You're frickin' kidding me, oh man." He groaned and picked up the only bottle of body wash he saw. "Black Amethyst." He murmured as he opened the lid. This would smell good, if he were a girl.

Dean put the bottle down and tried to remember if he saw a bar of soap on the sink. He pulled the shower curtain back and peered around the edge of it. "Jackpot."

After showering and changing he felt better. From his watch it was still early, or late depending on how you viewed things. He was starving and wondered if there was any of that chicken left. Trying to move quietly through an unfamiliar dark house was near impossible. It made him long for his night vision goggles. His hands guiding him he came It was cracked. He opened it a little more and peered inside. They were sleeping quietly and he breathed a sigh of relief. He closed the door back to its original position and continued on his quest for food.

He was almost home free too. He had made it to the living room and could hear Liz's quiet breathing coming from the couch area. Till his dying day he would say that there was a lump in the carpet and not that he tripped over his own feet.

Regardless of how it happened, Dean fell face first into the carpet, causing enough noise for Eliza to jerk away, panting. "Who's there?"

Dean groaned and rolled over on his back. "I think I broke my nose." He muttered and put a hand on each side of it to check. "Nope, still straight."

"What are you doing?" Eliza flipped the end table lamp on and stared at him. "It's, after 3 o'clock in the morning!" She yawned to emphasize this.

Dean pushed himself up to the sitting position. "I was hungry." He smiled quickly and jumped up. "Got any leftovers from lunch?"

He didn't wait on her to answer; instead he just opened the refrigerator. "Sammy got my beer!" He said happily and grabbed one. "I um," he pulled out several containers. "can you help please?"

With a groan she got up and stretched. "You're hopeless." She trudged over to him and grabbed one of the containers. "Reach in that cabinet there to your left and get me a plate."

He opened his beer and took a quick swig before complying. "So, about what we were discussing earlier..."

"About your velvet touch on my trigger?" She smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, but I've already cleaned my gun tonight Dean."

"Oh God." He took another drink of the beer and frowned. "And I missed it?"

With a chuckle she put the leftover contents from the container on the plate and popped it in the microwave. "So what's it going to be?" She turned to face him, both of their faces hidden in shadows from the light filtering through the half wall. "You ready to walk out of here without a backwards glance or second thought or are you going to try and make this work?"

Dean leaned against the counter and eyed her suspiciously. "Are you referring to being there for my kids or for you?"

Eliza rolled her eyes and grabbed the plate from the microwave before the timer went off. "Dean, I believe that the only kind of love you are capable of feeling is familial love, so for me to even think for one second you would be able to love me…" She handed him the plate. "isn't happening."

"Harsh." He whistled and sat down with the plate. "I think you're wrong though, maybe I just have to be taught."

She smiled and sat down across from him. "Old dog, new tricks, ring a bell?"

He forked food into his mouth and winked at her, then swallowed. "Who knows, maybe."

"Still haven't answered my question Dean." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Are you going to be around?"

Dean knew that he would never be the kind of father that Devon and Dustin needed, hell, he knew he couldn't even be the kind of Father that he wanted to be. Regardless of that he also knew that he wanted more than anything in this world to be able to visit those boys whenever he wanted. "Yes." He said quietly and then looked up at her. "It'll probably be dangerous, and I'm going to have to teach you how to use a gun."

"I already know."

He tilted his head and looked at her. "Since when?"

"Since John Winchester deemed it necessary that I know how to protect his Grandchildren." She smiled and reached across the table to grab his beer bottle. "Does that turn you on too?" She took a long drink and then slid it back to him.

"Chicks with guns are hot." Dean laughed and finished the food on his plate. When he sat back in his chair with a satisfied grin she asked the next question.

"I'm going to have to move aren't I?" She frowned and thought about packing.

He looked at her. He couldn't understand why she was doing this, why she was giving him a chance to be something he wasn't sure he could be. "I'll be right back."

"Sure." She muttered picking his plate up from the table and taking it to the sink to rinse out. She dried her hands on the towel and gasped as she turned. "Why did you just throw water on me?"

Dean looked puzzled and winced. "Oh yeah, sorry. I just, I had to make sure you weren't a demon."

"You just threw holy water on me!" She laughed and shook her head. "You are unbelievable."

Dean scratched his head uncomfortably, "Thanks?"

"I'm going back to sleep." Eliza threw the towel down after drying her hair the best she could.

Dean followed behind her. "Liz, look, I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure out why you're even giving me the chance. You know what kinds of monsters are out there right now roaming, living among us? Why are you putting yourself and more importantly our children at risk?"

"You really want to know? Believe it or not Dean, I care about you! You need something to keep you motivated." She turned around, effectively stopping them in the middle of the living room. "Because I know you would die trying to keep anyone in your family safe. Those boys are your family." She took a deep breath and continued. "You don't think I know what you went through as a child? You don't think your Father told me things?"

She brought her hand up to his face and cupped his cheek gently. "You need something to keep you going and if that something is the thought of being with your children then who am I to say no?"

He nodded slightly and bent his head. "So if you're going back to sleep can I watch the television in here?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, I'll go climb in my bed with Sam."

"I don't think so! My children aren't going to see you in bed with any man, unless that man is me." Dean said and glared at her.

"Do you really want to do this now?" She asked. "What if I want to get married someday?"

Dean frowned and shook his head. "You're right; we're not doing this now." He went back to the kitchen and grabbed his beer from the table. "South Dakota, there's an old family friend who stays pretty local." Dean sighed and sat down in the chair.

He noticed that she was already lying down with her back to him. "Jesus, when?" She rolled over watched him.

"Well, we've got to find a place suitable first." Dean took a long drink and flipped the television on. "I'll call Bobby in the morning see if he knows of anything."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm going to have to tell Grace."

"Who's Grace?" Dean asked.

"Grace has been a friend of mine, John liked her. She watched the kids when I would need to go get groceries." Eliza frowned and sighed. "She's going to be devastated."

Dean glanced at her briefly to make sure still had her back to him and then turned his eyes back to the television. "I don't usually do this; in fact I'm horrible at it, but thank you."

"Yeah, you are horrible at it." She chuckled. "You should be down on your knees worshipping me."

Dean smiled cheekily. "I could get down on my knees and do something else."

She rolled over to face him. "You're incorrigible." He nodded in agreement. "Turn the volume down please."

"Yeah, no problem." Dean murmured and did as she asked. He couldn't find anything on television, not that he was really going to be able to pay attention. He was still processing that he was a father and he had a woman who was willing to sacrifice her own happiness to make sure he could see his children. Why? He still couldn't figure out why she was doing this. Did he dare even hope that there was no ulterior motive behind her actions?


	7. Chapter 7

Dean spent nearly an hour on the phone talking to Bobby. After explaining the situation, and listening to Bobby call him every name that could be used to describe stupid the call wasn't a complete bust. "Hey Sammy?" Dean had just hung up and was stuffing a sausage from breakfast in his mouth.

Sam was sitting in the floor putting a puzzle together with Devon. "Yeah?" Dean walked around the corner into the living room to watch.

"Bobby thinks he knows of a place, could probably even get us a really good deal." Dean explained and watched as his brother and son played together. "What do you think Dad would do if he could see us now?"

Sam looked up wide eyed. This was really the first time that Dean had spoke of their father since he had passed. He knew he had to tread easily over this subject. "I think he would be proud of the way you're handling the situation."

Dean nodded in agreement and walked down the hall to the bathroom where Eliza was giving Dustin a bath. Syrup from pancakes and gravy had covered the little boy from head to almost toe. Dean winced as he walked in and saw Dustin sitting in the tub covered in soap suds. "Um, hey Liz, want some help?"

Eliza looked over her shoulder and nodded. "I usually have to get in the tub with him to hold him down; maybe you can talk some sense into him."

Dean grinned out of the side of his mouth. "If you want to get in the tub with him I will be more than happy to give you both a bath."

Eliza rolled her eyes and stood up, she handed him the rag. "Have at it, Daddy." She smiled sweetly. "So, how did the talk with, um, Bobby go?"

Dean lathered up the washcloth with the baby soap and hesitated before grabbing his son's arm to wash. "It went well I believe. He thinks he knows of a place. He'll call me back in a bit; the only catch is that you'll have to move probably next weekend."

She pushed her damp hair out of her face and sighed. "A week to pack everything I own?" With a frown and a shrug she put on a happy face. "Alright, looks like I've got a lot to do huh?"

Dean grimaced at mess he was making. "Is the floor supposed to get this wet, hell, am I supposed to get this wet?" He asked nervously.

She laughed, "You're doing fine." She leaned forward to peer over his shoulder. "He hates baths." Dean nodded in agreement and she paused before continuing. "Well, I guess it won't be so bad, with you guys here this week to help with the boys packing shouldn't be that bad."

Dean stopped and put the washcloth down. "Liz, we're leaving in the morning, there's some suspicious activity in Arizona, and we're going to go check it out."

Eliza nodded and whispered, "Oh." She cleared her throat and continued. "Absolutely, yeah, I understand."

Dean stood up. "I'm sorry, hey, look at me." He started after her as she backed out of the bathroom.

"I um, I have to get some stuff ready. Keep an eye on him." She instructed before walking out of the bathroom.

Dean turned back to his son and frowned. "Daddy screwed up again huh?" He smiled as the boy splashed him. "You'll be okay for a week, right?" He was talking to himself as he finished washing the messy child.

Eliza walked into the kitchen, still slightly upset by the news of Dean and Sam's departure. Sam watched with concern etched on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked as she opened the refrigerator and got out different lunch meats. He walked up behind her.

"What?" She jumped and turned to look at him. "Oh, nothing, I'm just packing us some lunches. I figure since you guys are leaving in the morning that we could go on a picnic today with the boys."

Sam smiled softly and put his hand on her shoulder. "He told you, didn't he?" She nodded and started making sandwiches. "It'll be alright, I promise." He squeezed her shoulder gently.

She sniffled and took a deep breath. "I shouldn't be surprised; you guys have a responsibility, to keep people safe." She smiled and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I just…I get so scared and lonely."

Sam watched her slice tomatoes as she talked. "I feel the same way, that's the life of a hunter. No one really knows what we do, we don't get paid, and we don't get attached to anyone." He rubbed her back softly now. "Or we didn't until recently."

She froze and put the knife down. "Sam…" she whispered and turned around. Before she could continue Dean walked in, carrying a squirming, towel covered Dustin.

Dean couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sam has his hand on Eliza's shoulder and he was bent down to look her in the eye. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "So um, some help here Liz?" She nodded and rushed to get her child.

"Let's get you some clothes on okay?" She packed Dustin back to his room and shut the door. Devon looked up as he saw his Dad enter the living room. He smiled happily at Dean and went back to his puzzle.

Dean stared at his brother a mixture of hurt and surprise written across his face. "Sam, a word?" Dean asked quietly.

Sam nodded and followed his brother into the corner of the living room. "What's up?" He asked nervously. Dean looked at him oddly and licked his lips before starting.

"Dude, what did I just walk in on?" He eyeballed his brother suspiciously. "Because if I didn't know any better than I would say that it looked like you were getting ready to kiss Liz, my Liz." He accused.

Sam shook his head and tried to keep his face from turning crimson. "Your Liz?" Sam shook his head. "She was upset Dean, I was just trying to console her."

Dean looked up at his little brother. "By sticking your tongue down her throat?"

Sam closed his eyes and tried to control his temper. "First of all, she's not your girlfriend and she certainly doesn't belong to you, so even if I wanted to kiss her I could."

Dean clenched his fist. "Don't go there Sammy." He warned through a smile as he just realized that Devon was watching them. "I don't know what she is yet but you don't go sniffing around her, understand."

Sam shook his head. "Whatever Dean." He answered and walked back to Devon. "You're done with that puzzle already?" Sam smiled at the little boy. "How about we put the puzzle up and play with your blocks now."

Dean took several deep breaths and then walked quickly to the boys' bedroom. Eliza had just finished putting socks on Dustin and he was crawling under his bed to grab his shoes. "Liz.." He started and faltered. He didn't really know what he wanted to say. Sam was right; he had no claim to her.

Dean did the only thing he knew he could do. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her flush against his chest before kissing her. Wide eyed she struggled only briefly before kissing him back. Before the kiss got a chance to deepen she backed away and stared at him. "What was that?"

Dean frowned, that hadn't went the way he planned. He hadn't really planned on walking in and forcing himself on her and he really hadn't expected her to respond. "I'm sorry." He said softly. "I honestly don't know what came over me."

She took a deep breath and straightened her clothes. "Well, you had better figure it out Dean." She warned and walked out of the bedroom. Dustin held his shoes up to his father.

"Shoes." He said happily and Dean smiled.

Eliza had packed sandwiches, homemade coleslaw and potato salad as well as chips and had insisted that they stop at the store for a pie. The tension between Dean and Sam was noticeable as was the tension between Dean and Eliza. The three adults sat in silence on a blanket in the park watching Dustin and Devon play.

Sam broke the silence by looking at his brother. "Um, how about I watch the boys tonight and you and Eliza go out and do something nice."

Eliza stared at him, shocked. "You sure Sam?"

Dean pursed his lips together in thought. "Yeah, you sure Sammy?"

Sam nodded and turned his attention back to the boys. "Absolutely. I think that the boys and I will have fun." Dean smiled at his brother and nodded.

Eliza looked at them and grinned. "Sure, I mean, if Dean wants to." To answer her question he threw his arm over her shoulder.

She turned to look at him. "What's the nicest place in town that you don't need a reservation to eat at?"

She frowned and shook her head. "No way, we're not going to some stuck up restaurant. Let me worry about the logistics, ok?" She smiled happily at him and then turned her attention to Sam. "You're great, you know that?" She reached across the blanket and squeezed his hand.

Sam smiled and blushed slightly. "I've been told that once or twice."

The three of them sat in silence a little longer, enjoying the day and watching the children play. Both Sam and Dean were happy just to have this little slice of normalcy. "I hate to be the killjoy here but, if we're going out tonight I've got to wash some clothes." Eliza interrupted. "I bet you guys need laundry done as well."

They both looked at her sheepishly. "Yeah." Dean and Sam said simultaneously. Eliza got up and stretched.

"I'm going to go chase my children around and work off some of that lunch." She rubbed her stomach and took off in the direction of the children. Sam looked over at his brother and watched his face closely. Dean followed her with his eyes.

"Don't fuck it up again." Sam warned and turned his attention back to the children.

Dean was silent, processing what his brother said. "I don't know what I'm feeling Sam, it's different with Eliza than with Cassie, Cassie there was all this fire and passion and with Eliza..I don't know yet."

Sam frowned and nodded toward where the woman in question was chasing Devon. "Well, take tonight and see if you can figure it out."

Dean stood up and stretched. "Sam, there's no guarantee that she'll wait around, it's one thing to make my kids accessible to me. I can't ask her to do the same with her heart." Dean took off in a run, chasing after Dustin.

Upon returning to the house and putting the boys down for a nap Eliza started on laundry. Both Winchester men brought their sacks of clothes to her with a grateful smile. "Dean likes to turn things pink." Sam said with a whisper. Eliza laughed and pushed him out of the laundry room.

Once the laundry was in the washer Eliza went to the kitchen to clean. Sam was stretched out on the couch and before long was snoring softly. A nap didn't sound that bad. After doing the dishes and wiping down the counters she put the clothes from the washer into the dryer and went back to her bedroom. Dean was lying in the bed staring at the ceiling. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come back here."

She shrugged and kicked her shoes off. "I had to pick up." Dean patted the empty spot beside him on the bed. She eyed the spot hesitantly before sitting down.

Dean sighed. "Will you lay with me for awhile?" He asked quietly. She nodded and stretched out beside him. "I'm not going to bite, unless you want."

She sighed and turned her head to look at him. "I get that the sexual innuendos are your self defense mechanism, but really, you can drop it around me."

He grabbed her hand and held it in his. "I don't know that I can." He answered honestly. "Liz, will you let me hold you?"

She nodded and he rolled on his side, draping his arm around her waist and burying his nose in her hair. "I spent many of nights lying awake listening to you breathing just like this." He told her. She swallowed loudly.

"Don't." She pleaded. "Don't pretend that when we were together that we were this happy couple. I didn't know anything about the real you. I didn't even get your real last name." She sighed and patted his hand. "Let me get to know the real Dean Winchester."

Dean pulled her tightly against him so that his lips barely grazed her ear as he spoke. "I might have lied about some things like my name and what I did for a living, but that was it. Everything else was me." He breathed in her scent and continued. "I was more interested in the sex than I was in the long term relationship but that was two years ago and I learned that you can have physically gratifying sex with any partner but something more happens when you actually connect."

She shivered. His hot breath against her ear was driving her crazy. "So that's all it was to you, sex?"

His lips traced the shell of her ear. "Now don't get me wrong, the sex with you was great but we connected Liz. We connected in a way that I have never connected with anyone before."

She closed her eyes and tilted her head to try and get away from his lips. "Dean, please." She was close to tears and getting aroused.

Dean pulled away slightly but still kept their bodies close. "Did you know that my Dad sold his soul to a demon to make sure I lived?" He took a deep shuttering breath. "I have been thinking it for a long time but this is the first time I've said it aloud."

Eliza rolled over to face him. "What?" She asked in rushed whisper. "You were serious?" She touched his face. "You almost died?"

Dean sniggered. "You think that was a pick up line?" Eliza kept her hand on his cheek. "Twice this past year. First time I was electrocuted and ended up having a heart attack and major heart damage." She moved her hand from his cheek to press against his chest. Before she could ask he continued. "Sam, well, he found someone that could heal me."

She patted his chest gently and then looked back up at him. "And this last time?"

Dean stared into her eyes. "There's this demon with Yellow Eyes, it killed my Mom, it killed Sam's Jessica." Dean closed his eyes, no longer able to take the way that her eyes bore into his soul. "We've been hunting this demon since I can remember. He found us." Dean paused and tried to find the words. "Or we found him, regardless, Dad was with us. He got possessed by the demon."

Eliza gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh God, John."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, God didn't have much to do with it. Dad was possessed and almost killed me, he was able to fight it off long enough to give Sam a chance to shoot him. Sammy couldn't do it though. I mean, it was our Dad in there too." Dean opened his eyes and used his finger to trace over her cheek. "The demon escaped out of Dad. We were all three in pretty bad shape so we got into the car, so Sam could drive us to the hospital. I was in the worst shape I think."

Eliza grabbed his hand from her face and squeezed it. "I'm so sorry."

He nodded and squeezed her hand back. "Almost finished now. From what Sam said we were in an accident. A semi came barreling into us. The driver was possessed by a demon and didn't know what he was doing." Eliza closed her eyes and a tear escaped. "We were airlifted to the hospital. Apparently I was in a coma. I don't remember anything but waking up and shocking the hell out of the doctors."

Eliza smiled slightly. "Leave it to you."

"Yeah, well, Dad came into my room and told me something, something I haven't even told Sam." Dean swallowed. "I can trust you right?"

Eliza nodded. "You know you can."

Dean took a deep shuttering breath. "There are a few things you don't know about Sam. He's..well, the yellow eyed demon wants him for some reason. Sam has these visions in connection with the demon. And Dad, Dad told me that if I couldn't save Sam that I would have to kill him."

Eliza looked at him in shock. "Save him from what Dean?"

Dean shrugged and wiped the tear from her eye. "I wish I knew."


	8. Chapter 8

After Dean's revelation not much else could be said. The two of them laid close to one another their thoughts racing. Dustin was the first to awake, his cries soon woke Devon and Eliza jumped out of bed and ran to them. Dean watched her go. He was sad to be leaving in the morning but also grateful. He knew he couldn't think objectively while staying in a nice warm house, playing with his children and eating home cooked meals. Dean got up and watched as Eliza walked around the bedroom with a child on each hip. "God Woman, you must be sporting some serious muscles."

Eliza grinned and nodded. "Yeah, you really don't want to mess with me. I could so kick your butt."

Dean laughed and went into the laundry room. He opened up the dryer and put the clothes into the basket. He brought the basket to the living room and smacked Sam's leg. "Dude, get up." Sam jerked awake and sat up.

Dean started folding his clothes. He threw Sam's clothes in his direction. He was almost at the bottom of the basket when he came across a matching bra and panty set. "These yours too?" Dean asked and held them up for inspection.

"Those would be mine, thank you!" Eliza said with a blush and grabbed them away from Dean. "I'm going to go shower."

Dean looked over at Sam who was grinning and frowned. "What are you smiling about?"

Sam shrugged and stretched his long arms above his head. "Were those silk?"

Dean groaned and got up, carrying his clothes with him. "Shut up." Devon and Dustin were in their room and after Dean put his clothes up he went to go pass the time by playing with them.

Dean smiled happily and grabbed a few chili cheese fries. "You're really okay with this?" He asked again. They were sitting in a burger joint eating.

"Absolutely," she smiled over her cheeseburger and then laid it down on the plate. "I wouldn't want you to be someplace that you weren't comfortable. That wouldn't have been any fun."

He chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed. "I forgot to tell you that you look great." He told her and looked her over thoroughly. She was wearing a pale green sun dress and sandals.

He was staring at her with the look she was quickly learning was pure lust, the look of a wolf, predatory and hungry. That look made her entire body blush. "Thanks." She replied quietly and looked away. He continued to look at her.

"Are you just going to stare at me?" She asked and ducked her head.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes, but in a good way." She answered honestly and rolled her eyes at his grin. "When we're done eating I thought we might go somewhere and talk."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Where did you want to go?"

She smiled shyly and cleared her throat before answering. "How about we go for a drive?" Dean nodded and arched an eyebrow. "What?" She asked as she dipped a fry into ketchup.

Dean swallowed and wiped his mouth. "Are we going to go parking Liz?" He grinned and winked. Liz blushed and tilted her head. "I'm all for necking in my car, but if we're going to do more than that I insist that we get a hotel room. I can't give you the full experience in the backseat of the Impala."

She blushed and chuckled. "Dean, I haven't been with anyone since you." She dipped another fry in ketchup and took a bite. He looked shocked. "Yeah, well, when you're pregnant you really don't feel all that attractive." She explained.

He wiped his hands on his napkin and leaned across the table. "I saw pictures Liz, you were gorgeous." He assured her. "I just can't believe that there's not been anyone in over two years."

She shrugged and avoided his eyes. "After the boys were born sex just wasn't high on the list of my priorities."

"That's just a waste." He said sadly and Eliza had to stifle a chuckle. "You just say the words and we will remedy that problem."

She grinned and shook her head. "Not happening tonight Dean." He nodded in agreement and took a sip of his soda. "I'll keep it in mind though."

Dean grinned mischievously. "Can we at least make out when we park?"

"So where are we going?" Dean started the car and pulled out of the diner parking lot and onto the main road. He made sure that the radio was turned down low so they could talk.

"Across the bridge to South Padre Island." She smiled and watched his nose wrinkle. "Cliché I know, going to the beach, but they have fireworks there at night and I want to see them."

Dean nodded and gunned the engine. "Listen, about what Sam told you." He started and then stopped, trying to find the words. "I have been with quite a few women but it was just sex." She nodded and he continued. "Sex without strings, hell Liz, I barely remember faces let alone names."

She pointed to the left and he turned left at the light. "That's how we started out. I don't know what changed but, the first night we hooked up I could tell you were only interested in getting in my pants." She frowned and looked out the corner of her eye at him. "What did change Dean? Why did you stick around?"

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "As stupid as it sounds, you intrigued me. You were so gentle and caring. I had never had anyone in my life that took care of me, I took care of Sam and my Dad as far back as I can remember and you took care of me without a second thought."

Liz blushed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "You were so angry that sometimes you used to scare me." She watched his expression and shook her head. "No, that's not right, angry is a bad word to use. Passionate is better. I had never been around anyone as passionate as you."

"You mean in bed?" He asked as they crossed the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge.

She shook her head and looked out the window at the ocean below them. "Passionate about everything, your convictions were so strong." She sighed and shrugged. "When I met John it all made sense. He was a very commanding figure."

Dean nodded in agreement and saw the exit for the beach. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for your pregnancy and that you've had to raise Devon and Dustin alone." He pulled into the parking area and turned the car off. "You deserve better Liz, you really do."

She unbuckled her seat belt and turned to face him. "You're probably right, I do, but the decision isn't yours alone." She smiled softly got out of the car. "Come on, this is the last night that I'll be able to enjoy myself in Texas. Next week I'll be living in another state that doesn't have beaches" She smiled and took her shoes off. She carried them by the strap and dug her toes into the wet sand. Dean sighed and followed her. He was unsure if he was supposed to put his arm around her shoulders or hold her hand. In the end the option was taken away from him as she grabbed his arm and looked up at him. "What's on your mind?"

Dean smiled and looked out at the dark water. "Skinny dipping." He said simply. She pushed him and he laughed. "Hey, you asked."

She let go of his arm and sat down. "If you were just some other guy I might actually take you up on that." She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them.

Dean looked at her oddly. "I don't understand, don't you feel safe with me?" He sat down next to her, trying to figure out where this conversation was heading.

She laid her head to the side to look at him. "I feel more than safe with you. What I mean is that with you I have to be extra careful. If you were just some other guy I could have a fling with you and never introduce you to my children, never let them get attached, but you're not some other guy. You're the father of my children and if things don't work out between us I don't want it to be awkward."

He licked his lips and nodded. "I see. So sex would complicate things, right?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "What if we take it slow? I mean if it were up to me you would be lying naked under me writhing in pleasure right now but, I'd be willing to take it slow if that's the reassurance you need."

She ran her tongue across her teeth and grinned. "Just had to throw that in there didn't ya?" He grinned and she shook her head. "No sleeping with other women either."

Dean took a deep breath. "I figured that was coming." He said honestly. "And I agree." She looked at him shocked, his face illuminated by a firework that had just been set off. The boom that followed shortly after the color show shook the ground beneath them.

"That was a lot easier than I imagined it." She said calmly. He scooted over closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Now, about skinny dipping…" He started and before he could even finish she had maneuvered herself to his lap, one leg on either side of him. "This works too."

He went to grab her head and she pushed him down and then stood up. "You ready to go home?" He raised himself up on an elbow and chuckled.

"Oh yeah."

Sam had put the boys to bed and then insisted that he needed to go do some things and would be getting a hotel room for the night. Eliza thanked him and excused herself to get a pillow and blanket for Dean to use on the couch. When she came back into the living room Dean had just taken his shirt off and was unbuttoning his pants. She stopped dead in her tracks, and then dropped the blanket and pillow in the floor.

"So you're one of those that like to watch huh?" He grinned and kept his eyes on hers as he slid the pants down his hips. Thankfully he was wearing a pair of tartan boxers. She focused her gaze on his body, the strong physical reaction in her own felt both remarkable and terrifying. She tried to find a point of reference and the closest she could come to was when she was a small child and she was being pushed on a swing. She would go higher and higher, the fear was electrifying and her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. It was remarkable and so exciting, just like now.

Dean watched as her face paled and he kicked out of his pants and rushed to her side. "Liz, you alright?" She backed away, not allowing him to touch her.

"I'm fine." She stammered and rushed back to her bedroom, shutting the door and locking it. It wasn't him she didn't trust. "I need a cold shower." She muttered and stripped off her clothes. The damage was done though. His body was now burned into her sex starved brain.

Liz lay in bed, trying to calm her racing heart and mind. A part of her wanted to just go into the living room and climb on top of him and get it out of her system. She was frightened that once would not be enough to satiate her desire for him. With a groan she rolled on to her side to look at the clock. She had been lying there for nearly an hour. The house was quiet, so quiet that when her cell phone rang it nearly made her jump out of her skin.

She scrambled out of bed to her dresser and grabbed the phone. The number wasn't one she was familiar with and she couldn't think of who would be calling her after midnight. "Hello?" She said quietly.

There was a pause on the other end before the other person spoke. "You ran off awfully quickly." Dean spoke quietly.

Liz frowned and made her way back to her bed. "Dean, why are you calling me from the other room?"

He chuckled and she wanted to smack him. "I didn't think you wanted to see me. I mean, you did lock your door didn't you?"

She gulped and slid back under the covers. "Yes."

"I thought so." He sighed and she could almost see him run his fingers through his hair. "I want you to do us both a favor."

It wasn't a question, it was a command and Liz was helpless to refuse him. "Okay." She said shakily.

"I'm going to come back there, and I want you to let me in. Nothing will happen that you aren't ready for." Dean honestly didn't know if she would agree or not but it beat lying on her couch in the dark playing with himself, which was what he was doing.

It felt like an eternity passed as she weighed her options. She could lie in bed tossing, turning and aching or she could let him in and whatever happened, happened. "Alright, be quiet coming down the hall though, you don't want to wake the boys." She said before hanging up.

Dean threw his phone back toward his pile of clothes and made his way quietly down the hall. He had just stepped in front of the door when it opened and she ushered him inside. He was still only clad in his boxers and she bit back a groan. He walked in and she shut the door quietly behind him.

He turned to look at her and smiled. "Thanks for letting me in." He whispered and she nodded in reply. She unknotted her robe and tossed it on the chair next to the bed. "Are those the bra and panties I was holding earlier?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, now get in bed." Dean smiled and climbed in the bed, she followed suit, pulling the covers up around them. "Well, here we are, in my bed…together." She said nervously.

Dean furrowed his brows and shook his head. "I told you that nothing would happen you weren't ready for." She nodded and moved closer to him.

"You don't know what I'm ready for." She said coyly and arched an eyebrow.

Dean smiled and rolled onto his back. "I'm all yours, you just tell me what you want me to do."

Eliza wetted her lips with the tip of her tongue as she pulled the cover back to stare at him. "I want you to just lay there; don't touch me until I say so."

"Liz, I have never been one to give up control." He smirked and put his hands behind his head. "I'll try though."

Eliza nodded in agreement and climbed on top of him so that she was straddling his waist. Dean's hands were itching to touch but he refrained, wanting to see what she would do next.

She didn't disappoint either. Long, tense seconds passed in which she just stared down at him, her eyes moving from his face, to his neck and then down to his chest. With a grin she lowered herself so that they were chest to chest and then proceeded to nip and suck, softly at first then more firmly on the muscle across his shoulder. Dean had never had a woman attend to him like this; it was driving him crazy, the feel of her against him, hungry to taste him, moving so sensuously over him. He had to concentrate to maintain his control otherwise he was going to touch her and end this before it really started.

Dean moved his head to the side to give her better access to his neck and throat. He was hard and throbbing when he felt her latch onto his earlobe with her teeth. Dean groaned and bucked involuntarily. "What the fuck are you doing to me Liz?"

He felt her breath, hot against his ear as her tongue traced the outer lobe. "Loving you." His breath hitched in his throat and he turned his head to capture her lips. Kissing her aggressively, moving his tongue in and out of her mouth, touching hers and withdrawing over and over until she felt dizzy.

He felt her against him, everywhere, touching and kissing him, his body on fire, her touch scalding against him, waking every nerve. He moaned, marveling at how her whole body moved against him, every part of her reaching toward him. He could feel her moisture through the thin cotton of her panties. It was driving him crazy, not being able to touch her. "I need to feel you." He said simply and brought his hands to her shoulders and kneaded the muscles there before letting his hands roam over her back.

She sat up on him and arched her back then began rocking her hips back against him, pushing up and down, almost stroking him with her body. His hand traced the edge of her underwear and slipped beneath the material, to squeeze her firmly. "Liz, stop." She had her eyes closed and her breathing was coming in soft pants. "Liz!" Dean said more firmly this time.

Her eyes flew open and he was mentally shooting himself. She looked half crazed with lust. "What's wrong?" She said shakily.

Dean took a deep breath. "Are you sure you're ready to go through with this?"

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Very."

"Good." He whispered and used his body to flip them over so he was now on top of her. He grabbed her thigh and brought her leg up. "Did you know that when I'm alone at night, sometimes I think back to you, how soft you feel, how warm you are and how you felt beneath me?" His eyes scanned hers. "Don't think we didn't and still don't have a connection."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face down to hers. He kissed her brutally, as if he was trying to possess her and she bucked up into him. He ground his hips into her core and smiled as she whimpered.

With ease he unhooked her bra and tossed it over his shoulder. Her nipples were pebbled with arousal. He brushed a thumb over one and delighted in her shudder. He pulled off her lips and gave her a satisfied look. Her lips were swollen and would probably be bruised in the morning. Eliza watched with hooded eyes as he lowered his head to her chest and kissed the soft skin between her breasts. She wrapped both legs around his waist and arched into him as his mouth moved over to her breast. He captured a taut nipple in his mouth, his teeth tugging gently.

A knife of desire moved though her, and she knew that she needed to feel him, all of him against her. "Dean.." She moaned and slid her hands down his back and under his boxers. With both hands on his buttocks she pulled him into her and pushed up against him. Her body making it clear what it needed and what she wanted. She pushed his boxers down and he kicked them off. Eliza wrapped her hand around him and squeezed, feeling him pulse in return. "I need you." She whispered and slid her hand up and down his shaft.

Dean closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Then you had better stop because if you keep that up.." He warned and she removed her hand. He sat back on his knees and gripped her hips and hooked his fingers under the waistband of her panties. He pulled them down her legs and placed his palm over her mound. He pressed down, cupping her and she mewled in pleasure. "That noise right there," he smiled and slid one finger inside her. "that noise drives me insane." He pumped his finger in her slowly, his thumb rubbing her hard button in circles.

They could both smell her arousal and instead of being embarrassed she was fueled by it. "Now Dean, enough foreplay, I need you inside me." She shivered as he withdrew his finger.

Dean nodded and frowned. "Damnit! I don't have protection."

Eliza smiled and grabbed onto his member again. "I can't have any more children Dean and I'm clean." He looked shocked and was going to ask her about that comment but she was guiding him into her. He made a mental note to ask later and hooked her legs over his arms and slid into her fully.

Bodies slickened by sweat glided together, whispered words of encouragement and praise filled the room, Eliza scratched and clawed at Dean's back as he moved within her. Their pace quickened and words gave way to grunts and cries of pleasure. Without warning she came up off the bed, screaming his name, her thighs crushing against him, her legs and hips lifting them as her body locked on him. His hips pushed forward, emptying himself in her with each throb. They were suspended, held in motion as the feeling folded in on itself over and over. Her body was twitching and trembling as she slid her feet down so they were back against the bed. Her hands were on his buttocks holding on, still pressing him inside of her.

Dean laid his forehead against hers, both of them sweaty and panting. "Wow." She whispered and giggled. He smiled and nodded in agreement. She let go of him and he rolled off her.

"How could that not be high on your list of priorities?" He asked seriously and smiled happily. Eliza chuckled and wiped her forehead.

With a wry grin she answered. "If I couldn't have the best anymore, why settle for anything less?"

Dean looked over at her and smiled. "Damn right."


End file.
